Cities of the Underworld

Located on the coveted gateway between the East and West, Turkey has a history marked by ambitious conquerors and great empires vying for control of the trade routes. Left behind was a rich mythology of gods and men with tales of epic battles which soaked Turkey's soil in blood. We'll uncover the truth behind these mysterious legends revealing how a nation at war turned underground for its only means of survival, a maniacal king's plot to overturn consecrated ground to build one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and even an ancient healing spa of the gods!

While most people think of San Francisco as a haven for peace-loving hippies, this city by the Bay is actually one of the biggest military defense installations in America. We'll take you beneath its picturesque hills and uncover the biggest ammunitions depot on the West Coast before plunging into a deadly arsenal that once stored nuclear missiles with more than six times the destructive power of the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima. From the secret Civil War fortification buried beneath Alcatraz to the human trafficking tunnels winding below Chinatown, San Francisco's underground is evidence of its sordid past.

The gladiators of ancient Rome were the ultimate fighting machines. They waged bloody battles to the death for the entertainment of the masses--and to earn their freedom. From the depths of the vicious and magnificent Flavian amphitheater, to the buried brothel where they lived their last days, these are the secret lives of Rome's famed slave warriors. Peel back the layers to uncover the origin of these fierce fighters, as host Don Wildman heads into ancient crypts, subterranean chambers used for pagan worship, and to the school that taught the gladiators how survive... and how to kill.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was plunged into chaos for centuries, with vicious carnage and rampant disease regularly raging through the streets. However, below the streets was another world designed to keep the people alive and the enemy guessing. Join host Don Wildman as he uncovers immense quarries of a secret society, Templar torture chambers and the tunnels of medieval "ghost knights."

Welcome to Las Vegas, America's Sin City, where billions of dollars are lost and made every year on our national vices. In order to protect their cash, casinos have made security the highest priority. From underground vaults to secret surveillance nerve centers, we'll uncover how the latest technology beats the cheaters. But Vegas wasn't always this high-tech. We'll show how a massive engineering feat transformed the city from a barren desert into a mobster metropolis where thieves ran the show from underground tunnels dating back to Prohibition. And just when it looked like all the thugs were behind bars and the city would fall off the map for good, Vegas became the come back kid. It's the only city in the world where you can be in Egypt one moment and Italy the next, thanks to a secret underground that allows the show to get bigger and better every time.

The largest naval armada in U.S. history descended on the Japanese island of Okinawa in April of 1945. Instead of a swift victory for the American's it became the bloodiest battle of the Pacific. Much of the battle wasn't on land it was underneath it--from the beehive of combat tunnels to the caves where thousands of civilians hid. Join host Don Wildman as he discovers what it was like to live through the Battle of Okinawa. Watch as he delves into the subterranean tunnels, caves, and bunkers, and then dives to explore the lost naval destroyer sunken deep in the waters off Okinawa's coast.

Inflicting over $80 billion in damage, and causing the deaths of over 1,800 people, Hurricane Katrina was among the greatest engineering disasters in US history. But was Katrina the "big one" New Orleans had been waiting for? Many believe the "perfect storm" is yet to come. If and when the big one does hit, will New Orleans be ready? The answers are in the underground. From the Army Corps' latest levees to last-ditch efforts to use save New Orleans' vanishing wetlands, we're going deep into New Orleans' underground to see where New Orleans stands, and if it stands a chance.

Washington D.C. is headquarters for one of the most powerful governments in the world, as well as some of the nation's deepest secrets. The decisions made here echo around the world, so while the seat of power rests above these streets, our nation's security depends on what happens underneath them. From top secret, high tech superbunkers to the underbelly of Capitol Mall, we'll delve into DC's subterranean defenses. Don will discover how the US prepares for the worst...from the ravages of disease to nuclear catastrophe.

The ancient world was shaped by people who believed they foresaw the will of God. Jerusalem is at the heart of all their fiery prophecies. From the outcome of bloody wars to the birth of saviors, Jerusalem has been at the center of prophetic revelations. Join host Don Wildman as he peels back the layers of this sacred subterranean landscape to uncover an ancient escape route, a secret bullet factory, and the birthplace of Jesus. He sets out to find the truth behind Jerusalem's most mysterious and enduring prophecies, the people who foretold them and what was left behind... underground.

Before the mysterious disappearance of the ancient Maya, Belize was the nerve center of this advanced civilization. Hundreds of ruins dot the landscape and reveal clues to bloody Mayan rituals, advanced architecture and a belief in an unforgiving underworld of Mayan gods. Don ducks beneath the jungles of Belize to uncover burial tombs, sacrificial altars, ritualistic caves and the literal entrances to the Mayan underworld.

Dublin, Ireland is much more than a city full of pubs and pints. Pagan burial tombs, subterranean defense tunnels, and mysterious burial crypts line the underground below the rolling hills. Even an underground river runs through the heart of the city where you'd least expect to find it.

Be careful where you walk--history's afoot! See a Vietnam that you've never seen before. During the Vietnam War the media flooded the world with images of soldiers and jungles. What wasn't seen were the tunnels, caves and passageways. Join host Don Wildman as he discovers the massive CuChi tunnel system that gave soldiers the upper hand to the super-bunkers and secret caves used as shelters.

100 years ago Portland, Oregon was a city full of vice, considered the most dangerous port in the world. It was a place where you could get drugs or booze or wake up trapped in a cell beneath the earth.

Visit the city of Bucharest, Romania and learn about its most famous citizen, Vlad the Impaler, more commonly known as Dracula. Travel underground as secret prisons, caves and dungeons are revealed. Only through the bleak subterranean stretches can one come face-to-face with the truth about this infamous Romanian ruler.

The bombardment of Naples during World War Two revealed a forgotten underground world of ancient buildings, caverns and tunnels. This was fortunate because the underground provided shelter from the bombing as well as a window into Naples past all the back to the Greek Empire.

New York City's underground harbors secrets and surprises befitting the most important city on earth. Eric shares these secrets in tours under Grand Central Terminal, the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center and New York's original aqueduct.

Eric finds some knowledgeable guides to take him on a clandestine tour of the catacombs of Paris. Originally a limestone quarry, the vacant space produced its own utility and a rich history in war and in peace to hide things better kept unseen. But the catacombs also represent cracks in the foundation that threaten the stability of the city above the surface.

This program reviews Adolf Hilter's and Albert Speer's plans for a building boom that would turn Berlin into the capital city of the world. The plan included substantial below ground ...

Istanbul is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic and exotic cities in the world. Once the capital city of three of the world's most powerful empires--The Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman--its strategic location made it the perfect spot for empires to rise, fall...and rise again. Residents of Istanbul walk on top of remnants of these fallen civilizations...literally. Taxis drive over parts of Constantine's Lost Great Palace; children play on cobblestone streets concealing a massive Byzantine dungeon; a high school sits on a 3rd century wall leading to the bowels of a 100,000 seat ancient Roman Hippodrome; and basement's of old Ottoman homes lead to subterranean tunnels and secret cisterns. Join host Eric Geller as he leaves the buzz of the city streets behind and follows the pull of the past. Teamed with leading archeologists and experts, Eric peels back the layers of the past--to reveal a hidden history that hasn't seen the light of day for ages.